Is smart phone photography killing interest and use of mirrorless digital cameras ? (Page 3): I have a D850 and a Z9. I was soon to buy a point and shoot to take to events and...

coolhanduke Loc: Redondo Beach, CA

I have a D850 and a Z9.
I was soon to buy a point and shoot to take to events and activities that I did not want to take either one of them along to.
A friend showed me some pictures she took with her iPhone 12. I was amazed at how good they looked.
Being in the market go an upgrade from my iPhone 10, I bought an iPhone 14 pro.
End result, no need for a P&S.
Sunset I shot last night.

bsprague Loc: Lacey, WA, USA

Picture Taker wrote:

The smart pones have good cameras and are getting better but those of us that use the pictures for non on line photos need the pixels to print and we generally take a more serious approach to photography.

My 6 year old Samsung phone shoots 12 MP RAWs. My Canon Pixma Pro-100 makes great 13x19s from them. The current replacement Samsung phone goes to 50MP!

If your standard workflow includes selling a lot of 30x40 prints, framing and gallery displays, you probably do need big sensor cameras. If you did get a good phone shot image, you would have to keep it secret.

bsprague Loc: Lacey, WA, USA

coolhanduke wrote:

I have a D850 and a Z9.
I was soon to buy a point and shoot to take to events and activities that I did not want to take either one of them along to.
A friend showed me some pictures she took with her iPhone 12. I was amazed at how good they looked.
Being in the market go an upgrade from my iPhone 10, I bought an iPhone 14 pro.
End result, no need for a P&S.
Sunset I shot last night.

It is always the composition, not the camera, that wins.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

coolhanduke wrote:

I have a D850 and a Z9.
I was soon to buy a point and shoot to take to events and activities that I did not want to take either one of them along to.
A friend showed me some pictures she took with her iPhone 12. I was amazed at how good they looked.
Being in the market go an upgrade from my iPhone 10, I bought an iPhone 14 pro.
End result, no need for a P&S.
Sunset I shot last night.

Well, isn't the phone kinda like a point-n-shoot?

I love my phone camera. It has a place for what I shoot.
Handy-dandy little thing!

bsprague Loc: Lacey, WA, USA

Tomfl101 wrote:

One thing is for sure about smart phones; they are indeed smarter and more intelligent than DSLR and Mirrorless cameras in their auto modes. Camera manufacturers should take note and build similar in-camera processing capabilities for those that don’t care to learn advanced photo techniques. Coupled with superior optics and resolving power, camera manufactures could possibly slow the tide, but I doubt it.

Well written. I've tried to make that point many times in discussions here. The traditional camera makers could have and should have invested in software, firmware, the interface and "computational photography".

BebuLamar

Longshadow wrote:

Yea, not everything has to be shot.....

It is that everything has to be shot that makes the smartphone so important.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

BebuLamar wrote:

It is that everything has to be shot that makes the smartphone so important.

A truism.......

gwilliams6

Tomfl101 wrote:

One thing is for sure about smart phones; they are indeed smarter and more intelligent than DSLR and Mirrorless cameras in their auto modes. Camera manufacturers should take note and build similar in-camera processing capabilities for those that don’t care to learn advanced photo techniques. Coupled with superior optics and resolving power, camera manufactures could possibly slow the tide, but I doubt it.

That AI in smartphones was developed by Sony and others that make those image sensors and cameras inside your smartphones.

And yes the latest full-size mirrorless cameras from Nikon, Canon, Sony, Fuji, Panasonic, Olympus are incorporating more and more smart AI tech in those larger sensor cameras.

Smartphones will always win out with convenience and being photo idiot-proof (lol), but the gap is actually narrowing between smartphones and full-size cameras when it comes to AI tech. It was easier to experiment on and work that AI magic with smaller sensors first.

With those first lessons learned and tech perfected, now every maker is putting more and more of that AI tech in their full-size cameras.

Cheers and best to you.

CrazyJane Loc: Limbo

This issue comes up again and again and it's a silly discussion. Because the should be not about the pictures but instead about the tools. Comparing the functionality of a phone cam to the functionality and flexibility of a DSLR (mirrorless or otherwise -- doesn't matter) is like comparing a hack saw to a scalpel. If all you care about is posting colorful pictures on Instagram, then stick with the phone because it'll get you beautiful 72-ppi pics that look great online. But if you're a serious photographer with serious goals, use a serious tool.

Silkway2017

100% agree

BebuLamar

CrazyJane wrote:

This issue comes up again and again and it's a sil... (show quote)

My take is that it's not an issue. The smart phone will reduce the interest and use of cameras (of all types not only mirrorless) but only back to the normal level.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

CrazyJane wrote:

This issue comes up again and again and it's a sil... (show quote)

Exactly!
The both take pictures,
in different ways, with different operating characteristics and capabilities.

coolhanduke Loc: Redondo Beach, CA

Longshadow wrote:

Well, isn't the phone kinda like a point-n-shoot?

I love my phone camera. It has a place for what I shoot.
Handy-dandy little thing!

Yes, it actually is. That's why I opted not to buy a P&S.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

coolhanduke wrote:

Yes, it actually is. That's why I opted not to buy a P&S.

rehess Loc: South Bend, Indiana, USA

Financial issues also pay a role. When I was in high school and college {now, over 50 years ago}, I used a Instamatic 100, because that is what I could afford. I used college graduation money to buy a rangefinder camera, because that is what that money would cover. Today I have a limit of $1K because I have other uses for that money.